Difference between revisions of "A Fateful Meeting"

Latest revision as of 15:36, 13 December 2012

Hati has posed:
The crossroads. This is a place that sometimes calls to both the light and the dark. Much like Traverse Town, sometimes those with strong hearts from a fallen world will end up here. Maybe that's why Hati is here. The girl no longer wears her 'Pyre' red dye in her hair, and has returned to the usual blue, but her expression is confused ... and troubled.

She sits atop a rock just a short ways from the path, legs folded beneath her. In her hand is a child's drawing - just a stick figure with ears and a tail, but it still feels wrong. Why should she feel guilty about that boy losing his world? Why protect worlds where people would leave a child behind to save themselves? Those who believe in the light don't seem to see how weak it's become, and how little it serves to protect those who need it most. No one was there to protect /her/ when she needed it. So where is her hero to fight for her?

The sad truth of it is, there isn't one. Maybe her mother's story about the White Wolf is just that - another stupid story. Even Serrak had abandoned her, and more and more she's starting to believe that it was in his fool's quest to find his true daughter again, somewhere in the land of dreams. It's just one more drop in the bucket of hatred that is nearly filled to overflowing. "A monster." She growls to herself, and then crumples the drawing in her hand, tossing it into the road.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Where are they? When the world of Manhattan had fallen into darkness, he remembers how suddenly Zia had disappeared amidst the chaos, along with others - and that LEXUS had blamed the King Mouse for it. So then why could he not reach her on the phone!? Had it broken during the battle? Or was it still at the Shard Seekers? The young man, slowly moves through the area - wounded. There's a limp in his movement and one of his eyes is gray and has a nasty scar covering its entirety. A wound that will certainly disappear over time; thanks to the blessing and curse that is being an Unlimited.

The youth continues down Phantasia mountain, redialing Zia's number as if he was afraid that pressing 're-dial' would not be good enough... like it might somehow fail. Had he typed in the wrong number, he thinks constantly? At least he knows Avira is... okay. Well, he'd not seen her when he'd finally awoken, but he'd pulled her out of that place. He'd felt her. Although she'd felt strange, he had recognized her by scent at least.

The youth continues down the path, moving out of the way of stragglers from Manhattan, until he finally hits the crossroad and comes to a halt. He always comes to a halt here. It's always that choice... to report to the Gaudium Lords, to go back to the lands of fantasy, or to go into Traverse down or the World of Ruin. So many choices. That, or investigate that strange item up north... he'd gone there once with Avira, he /thinks/. He's not sure. Things were strange there.

That's when he notices a growl, a rumbling sound he recognizes easily. It can only be from monster or werewolf, and when his sights set upon Hati, that is a question easily answered. The little ears and the tail and all that. The youth stands still amidst the small crowd of people, one hand in his pockets, the other slowly lowering the hand holding his Ma Belle. The youth blinks. It seems he's dumb-founded with what he's seeing.

The facial shape. The eyes. But that hair... still - that tail and those ears! His heart skips a beat... and another... and then THUMPS hard and painfully within his chest. His mouth feels dry. He can sense something else about her. Something dark.

"Hati..." He whispers, staring at her... and slowly letting go of the phone; letting it drop to the ground dramatically.

Hati has posed:
There is quite a bit that has changed from the last time that Skoll has seen his sister. She was far younger then. Just a child. Years have passed between that day that his father had come out of the woods with the wounded arm and told Skoll that his sister was not returning. It would have been easy to assume that she'd run off somewhere - her life within the pack hand't been easy. Still, the blood where her scent had stopped. It seems like an impossibility that she could have survived.

Yet, there is a girl with a wolf's ears and tail, sitting atop the stone. She doesn't hear her name being whispered. Hati pushes herself up from the stone, shoving her hands into her pockets. She doesn't look back at that piece of paper that she'd flung down, nor at those passing through the crossroads. As she hops off the rock, the girl walks down towards that darker place - where few would dare to tred.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
No, it's impossible for him not to recognize her. For all that may have changed, one cannot fool the nose and instinct of a wolf such as himself. The youth keeps getting walked past by the people of Manhattan, standing there, staring at her with the phone having fallen to the ground - somehow managing not to be crushed. The youth quickly grabs it the moment the girl pushes off and begins to move the way of darkness.

When he gets back up from grabbing his phone, he wants to shout out her name - but the piece of paper she'd flung down is picked up by the wind and slapped right against his mouth. The youth pulls it off of his face and looks at the image, before he looks back up and gets into a sprinting run, while at the same time he calls out to her; "Hati! Hati! Is that really you!?"

Hati has posed:
The sound of her own name draws a flick of one tattered ear. She seems about to take another step when something makes her stop. Slowly, Hati turns her head back to look towards the source of the voice. It's impossible not to recognise the man as a werewolf. Could this be the one that the strange scarred woman had mentioned?

As she turns towards him, it's easy to see that this girl has her own share of scars. Although it's mostly hidden by a shock of that dyed hair, a series of deep scars are torn through her cheek, one clearly having dug deep enough to damage that eye beneath. She doens't seem blinded by it though, as a mismatching blue eye peers from underneath the hair. "What do you want?" She snarls back towards him.

It's then that her eyes meet his, no... her /eye/ meets his. The green eye starts to glow faintly, causing her to growl, "Damn you." The transformation is not something that she enjoys, and perhaps if she'd been more prepared for running into another werewolf, this wouldn't have happened. The blue eye doesn't seem to react at all to his presence, but all too soon, Hati turns away, stripping off her coat and arching her back, giving a loud roar as the wolf breaks free from within.

The sight of this is enough to frighten more than a few of those on the crossroads, who have to make a quick decision about just which path to take. Hati, body still twitching from the change into a wolf, growls low as she steps forward. Her ears are up, her body erect, her tail out. This is the posture of a dominant wolf - not the lower one he might have expected. "Leave me alone before I snap your pathetic neck." Hati bears her teeth, lips curling.

The scars are so much more visible now, especially the way they travel down over her shoulder and side. This is the form of a wolf who has been mauled terribly.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Ah, yes, the eyes. There's a reason their people generally don't walk around in too much clothing. But Skoll has stopped trying to make eyecontact with people in subtle ways. It doesn't mean that Hati would get away with such things - and not to mention, the reaction is far worse with people of their own kind. When she looks his way, and they meet gaze, the youth stumbles one step back and clutches for his head, before moving forwards. Away from the people.

The youth resists it for a moment, that urge to change; "What do you mean what do I want!?" He asks, before moving rapidly to throw off some of his clothing just to be on the safe side - kicking off his boots just as it begins to take him over too. The way her eyes had reacted are taken in of course, along with her scars as she changes before him, and his own body moves to change with it. The rest of the essential clothing are tossed off towards a little ditch before the young man draws his arms to his sides, hands forwards and fingers aimed towards his head as he lets out a mighty howl... and his body becomes lit in a beautiful play of dark purple flames and bright white light - showing that the corruption of his heart has furthered due to the events at Manhattan.

Within moments, two massive werewolves stand before eachother, at the side of the path. "I refuse to leave you alone!" Skoll answers her, trying to tower higher than her. What is this kind of reaction!? This is his sister! She shouldn't be like this! What is wrong with her!?

"Why didn't you see me? You knew I was in Fluorgis, you must have smelled me!" He calls out to her. "We're blood! We're family, Hati!" Those scars. The beast's eyes widen far. Those scars on her, some he recognizes, but many others he doesn't. "Who did this to you, Hati!?" Skoll continues on to demand, emotionally moving one hand to empower his own words while his tail beats fiercely against the ground.

Hati has posed:
It has been a very long time since she has met another wolf face to face. The fact that this one so closely resembles her father isn't lost on her, and at first - it seems to flare her anger just that much greater beneath the surface. Her forepaws dig into the ground, muzzle flashing those sharp teeth. No matter how tall he tries to display himself, she refuses to back down. She will /not/ be made to submit again, not by him, or by ANYONE.

"What do I care about some stupid wolf?" She snaps back at him, but then the scent of him hits her, and the words come at the same time. Family? Blood? Blood. Blood. The image of her own blood on the snow and her father's figure looming over her. The strike of his claws across her face. The smaller wolf backs up, but it is clearly not due to his display. She shakes her head as if trying to dismiss something, trying to shake some irritation that is inside her own head. "How do you know my name? Who are you?!" She demands in a bark.

One hand lifts to her face, ears slicking back. Memories are assaulting her now, driven by the sight of him before her. This is confusing, and /he/ is at the source of it. So, the wolf inevitably does what any cornered animal would do. She lashes out, with one fist firmly aimed at Skoll's face. "Go way!" She snarls mid-punch.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
The beast is surprised when the girl calls him 'some stupid wolf'. This isn't like his sister at all! His sister had been far more meek... not this... this blood-thirsty! That entire display she pulls before him has Skoll backing away a little at the same time she does - simply because he's confused. Is he wrong? Is this not Hati perhaps? But he knows some of those scars! Scars from times she'd come back from the forest and had 'fallen down a cliff'. That'd been his father's story anyhow. And he'd believed him. Little daddy's boy.

"Of course I know you!" He starts, moving forwards. And in that moment of moving forwards, the girl-wolf lashes out. He should know better than to approach an irate werewolf. Her punch slams into his face, right near the wounded eye, bringing the beast to roar in pain for a moment and grab at the already wounded part of his body, before hissing and roaring at the girl in anger. "How can you not recognize me! Don't you smell me!? Or have you forgotten your pack! It's me! Skoll - your brother!"

"And I'm not going away!" Instead, he pushes forwards, trying to grab onto her shoulders. "Get a hold of yourself, Hati!"

Hati has posed:
Both hands come up to the wolf's head, clutching there as she tries to push back the force of memories trying to resist Serrak's magic. In other times, he might have saved her this pain by strengthening the spell upon her, but he is not here to save her this time. As Skoll grabs her shoulders, Hati's head snaps upwards, looking him right in the face, snarling with uncomprehending eyes. He might be bigger, but she could fight. She would fight. Growling deep in her chest, the girl's body tenses, the clear signal that she's about to strike.

Then one word hits her: 'brother'. She had heard the name 'Skoll' more than once recently, but it had never been enough to get through the barriers in her mind. Those fierce eyes change in a matter of a moment, displaying not rage, but confusion. They search his features even as her ears tip back slightly. "Skoll?" Her nose twitches and his scent draws in those glimpses of memories. Him standing up for her when the other pack youngsters knocked her down. Him sharing his blanket on a cold night. But the one that happened time and again was him walking away with their father into the woods.

Hati recoils almost as if she had been hit, stumbling backwards and having to struggle to keep her footing. She has to put distance between them. That moment of recollection brings back the pain and the anger and the jealousy right along with it. She understands those emotions, whereas the affection she once held for her brother is something buried far deeper. "Where is he?" She snarls, although this time it is not Skoll who is the target of her fury. "Where is Odin. Tell me. If there is one last thing I can do before darkness takes me, it will be ripping out his THROAT." This last part is roared, as she smashes a hand into the ground. "Where /IS/ he?"

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Light. He can see the light in here eyes for a moment, as her memories come back to her. "It's me." He answers her when she repeats his name, quickly glancing up at her ears tipping back, and then leaning down towards her and smelling her scent rather audibly. He had to make certain it was her, simply because she's giving off so many trange signals. He too remembers this girl - but for him, they are fond memories. Often too blind to see the things that were wrong between her and their father...

When she suddenly recoils and then snarls at him, he lets go of the girl and moves his hands back a little so that he can get into a defensive posture. And then she goes and says what he considers the darnest thing. Rip out... his father's throat!?

"What the hell happened to you, Hati? Our father is dead! He died when our world was attacked and destroyed - but what the hell sis?! Rip out his throat, what the hell?" He snarls at her, rearing forwards a little. "What have they done to you Hati? Our father had nothing but love for you!"

Hati has posed:
Then, perhaps the strangest thing happens. Hati begins to laugh. It's that cruel sort of sound that comes from someone who is just barely clinging to the edge of their sanity. How funny it is that Skoll is here before her, telling her of all people about how much 'love' their 'noble' father had for her. She laughs, and then rears her head back and howls to the sky, a sound full of rage and sorrow and all the negative feelings that cling like a barrier around her heart.

When the howl dies off, she turns those mismatched eyes back towards him. "Don't you dare sit there and try to tell me about his 'love'. Which great 'love' would that be, Golden boy?" Jealousy flares in her chest. So many times that Odin had taken him off for his special training in the woods. The time that she had cracked the stick too close by and he had found her watching them. Oh, he had passed it off that she had 'fallen', and she was too scared to say otherwise.

"Is it the love where he he denied I was his daughter? Or how about the love when he abandoned our mother because of her supposed betrayal? Let's try the love of hitting her when I disobeyed him, so that I never wanted to say a word because I Couldn't stand the hurt in her eyes. Or how about the love where he beat me because he couldn't stand that I exist." She growls under her breath, "Oh, I know. ... It must have been the love where he took my eye and left me to die on the snow."

All of the pain comes back in a rush - and with it - all of the reason for her rage. "You want to know what happened to me? You'd have to ask the wolf that you call 'father'." Still, some of the wind is taken out of her sails as he tells her that Odin is dead. "No... no no no." She takes another step back, shaking her head from side to side. "I. Will. Not. Be. Denied. My. Revenge." She tenses again, her entire body taught with years of anger. Someone has to be made to pay.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"D... don't be rediculous!" Skoll answers her, taken aback by what she is saying. For a boy who had so much love for his father, and had been kept away from most of the negative parts of Odin - he has trouble believing her at first. "You must misremember! Someone must have twisted with your memories! Father would never do such things!" Skoll calls out to Hati, moving a hand to his chest - his heart - even when hesitation starts to appear within his body.

Was he wrong about this too? Had he put such blind trust in his father, just like he had with the Gaudium Lords - just to be... to be betrayed by the truth of the matter!? "He never denied you were his! Of course you are his! And mom loved him!" Skoll tries to reject the truth the best he can. After all, Hati had never told him any of this - had she? Surely, if she's only telling him this now, it must be something else!

Yet those scars - that scar at her eyes. He'd seen the scars his father left behind. They... they were exactly the same. The beast squints and tilts his head away from Hati, looking away, his tail moving between his two hind legs. He pauses, not sure what to say in this moment. All that rage, yet it seeped of something more than just made up items. But how long would it take Skoll to rack his memories for this? There are memories within him that had been surpressed too. Is this just a game by the Gaudium Lords!? No... surely not! Or...

The youth looks up, "I can't believe dad did such things!" He calls out to her... then... his eyes shift a little... "But... if he did..." He then whispers. 'if' he did. What a most annoying sentence. Like he can't admit that she may be right. Just 'if'. "Even if he did! Killing him would bring you nothng! And what do you mean, /fall to the darkness/!? Hati! What happened to you that day, the day you disappeared!?"

Things start to connect. "It was LEXUS wasn't it? Did he do 'this' to you!?" It's a very far-fetched attempt at grasping for straws.

Hati has posed:
"Oh no, Skoll." The girl growls low in her throat, shaking her head faintly from side to side. "I remember. I wanted to forget, but guess what? Here you are." She shivers again, barely able to keep her rage under control. He is not the one that deserves her anger. She tells herself this time and time again, but every word that he says in their father's defense is like a knife. It stabs to the core of her heart "Odin's little golden child. His prodigy. He hid the truth from you, but you know what? You're just as bad as he is." She snarls, tongue lapping at her teeth. "You turned a blind eye to what happened right in front of you."

She backs up again. Behind her, a familiar dark portal appears, swirling with the same magic that both of these two beasts share within their souls. "If he loved her, why was she an omega? Why did we live separate from the others? Why were you the one given everything, and he wouldn't even /look/ at me." She narrows her eyes at him. Green eyes that once were innocent, scared, bright with wonder at the world. No longer.

"You want to know what happened? He hit her and I broke his hand between my jaws." Hati trembles again with that rage that wants to drag her down. "I couldn't fight him. I was a /child/. Every scar you see. /He/ did this. While you were off with all your training. Special little Skoll, the unlimited. The future alpha. Well, I won't bow to you, or to him, or to ANYONE any longer. If it's a monster that they see me as, then it's a MONSTER I'll become. I will crush the bones of even the innocent beneath my paws, and I'll show you just how much like my /father/ I am."

She turns towards the portal, and runs.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"I turned a blind eye?" The words cut into his heart. He'd never - never ever - ignored her pain on purpose. Often he'd asked what had happened to her when she'd gotten hurt. He'd never just ignored her pain. Yet here, he'd missed so much! He'd missed his father doing these kind of terrible things to her!? Had he truly turned a blind eye? How ironic that he stands before her in this moment, with one eye just that; blinded.

The beast remains standing, as if frozen in space, as she moves away from her and opens a dark portal. At least so it is at first. Her questions are just - they are right - he just had never questioned them. He'd never thought he'd needed to question them. He'd been young. He'd been in the family. And his father had dragged him away so many times for their 'training' - the training that now makes him able to... well... do what he does now.

Skoll turns his head down in shame as she tells him that she broke his hand between her jaws. That explained the wound on him. He'd tried to hide it, but he'd seen...

And then she turns to mocking what he is. "I never asked for any of those things! You know that!" Skoll roars back to Hati. "I don't need anyone to bow to me!" The youth then suddenly moves forwards, and in a flash of speed, he blocks the way into the portal from her - opening his arms wide in a motion of defenselessness. "But if you say that is what my father was, why would you ever wish to BECOME LIKE HIM!?" He asks her... tilting his head towards her.

"Please Hati... I'm sorry... please don't leave me. I only just found you!"

Hati has posed:
In truth, Hati is probably being overly harsh at the moment, but this seems like the worst of times for a family reunion. She'd already felt the darkness in her heart trying to dig in deeper, and being run off for simply being allied with the Shadow Lords had left a sour taste in her mouth. She had been ready to just let the darkness come, and then Skoll had appeared and everything has gone back to being confusing.

All of a sudden, the other wolf is right in front of her, and Hati lowers her head, posture threatening as she snarls at him. "You never asked for it, but you never tried to make it better for me or mom, either. You were the one he cared about. Maybe if you'd have said something..." Her voice softens, if only slightly. It's closer to the one that had said his name in that first moment of recognition.

Then, her expression hardens again. He'd blocked her escape back to one of the few places she could consider home. "Why not? What does it matter? Look around you, Skoll." The wolf rears back onto her hind legs, making a motion at the crossroads. "Our world is gone. The worlds that are left are dying. Where is the light that everyone seems to go on and on about? Where was the light when Odin left me to die? Where was it when the Shadow Lords took Manhattan?"

Some might have pointed at King Micky as the bastian of light in the world then, but it didn't seem to save anyone, did it? The world still fell. "Don't make me hurt you. You're still my brother. But the sooner you let go of who I was and accept that this is all that's left. This twisted, dark creature who wants NOTHING but death and destruction, the better off you'll be. Now let me through." She growls again.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
No matter how much she might posture before him or show aggression, the beast doesn't lower his arms. Instead, he rumbles at her; "I didn't know I had something I needed to say... Hati... if only you'd told me..." Or maybe she had. Maybe she had tried to tell him, and he just never got the messages. His ears fold down. "No... I'm sorry I didn't /see/." He corrects himself. The beast tilts his head a little further, sorrowfully looking away.

Her words, they once again strike true. The worlds are left dying as their Barriers of Light fade... it truly does seem like the darkness is taking over all. "That doesn't mean there isn't hope. It doesn't mean we can't fight it! I refuse to believe that." Still, his words feel weak. She probably knows. She can probably tell. That prominent darkness within him, clutching around his heart like a chain. This isn't your typical darkness... this is something forceful. Something that isn't truly his.

The beast continues to stand in her way however. "But most of all, I refuse to do /that/. I refuse to believe you are some 'twisted dark creature' like that. I know you - Hati! You were always with mother, you loved the stories. I know you don't want all this destruction - all these people suffering for... for what!? I won't get out of the way. I want to speak to you. I want you to stay with me. At least for now."

Hati has posed:
At first, it seems as if the smaller wolf is going to argue with his words, at least until he apologizes. Her ears flick back, just the slightest sign of confusion again in those mismatched eyes. It catches her off-guard. She's so used to people arguing with her, telling her that she's wrong in the way that she sees the world.

"Hope." The wolf takes a step back, shaking her head. "You mean like mom's stories. Still chasing the sun, Skoll?" She asks, still with that cruel edge to her voice. The anger has diminished though. "They're just fairytales. They don't exist." It sounds almost as if she is trying to convince herself of this fact. Maybe that would make it easier. Better if she doesn't believe in such childish things.

When he refuses her request, Hati rises up again at her full height, bristling. "Then you're the fool. I can sense the darkness in you. You've never had the strength to master it like I did. It will control you if you don't learn to harness it." She smirks, her lip curling. "My darkness is my strength, but I know the line I walk. All it takes is to close my eyes and fall." She tilts her head back, closing her eyes as if she were about to drop off of some precipice that isn't actually there.

Her head comes back down though, and her eyes open to look at him with that fierce look in her eyes. "Because light is a myth. Even in the most innocent, the darkness will always come. Even in those who think themselves righteous. Everyone has it within them." Some might say that the Princesses of Heart are signs of the true light, but she has her doubts there. "I used to look at children, and think of how it used to be. I would have never raised a hand to harm them, but... all those who fight for the light see in me is a monster. How long is it until you become one?"

Hati looks down at her own hands, and then at Skoll. "If you want me to stay, Skoll, you'd best be ready to fight me. I won't go quietly."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Confusion. Light again. Skoll's body slackens just a little as he calms, seeing her expression change. His eyes remain upon hers, strong, yet... uncertain. He simply nods upon her repeating the word Hope. But when she comments on the Sun, the beast nods his head; "I never stopped chasing the sun, Hati." He tells her, not caring how cruel she might think herself to be when stating this. But when she calls it a fairytale, the beast growls. "No, it is not fairytale! I will /prove/ that to you..." His brow furrows, before he looks away. "As soon as I find them... it... whatever or who-ever the Golden Wolf is." And then he looks back at her, strong again. "I /will/ find the Golden Wolf!" Even if it is right in front of him.

The beast even trembles a little when he says this, and continues; "And I know I have darkness within. But it has nothing to do with strength to master. I /don't want to master/ it. I want to rid it! I don't want any of it! It only harms me and those around me!" The beast growls violently at her, "And don't you dare close those eyes and fall. For I will dive in and drag you up myself if I have to."

"But trust me on one thing. Light is no myth. I can sense it in others. You might have lost that ability after being forced into so much darkness..." He still refuses to believe she took it all in herself. "But I can tell." Thanks to those dark chains around his heart - lightening around those of light. "And I can tell you still carry light. I can't help that others cannot... but you can't let that shape /you/."

The creature then takes a step back when she states that if he wants her to say, he will have to fight. The beast shakes his head. "No. No I will not fight you. You are blood! And more importantly - if you are right after father... then I would just be like /him/ if I fought you."

Hati has posed:
What she does not want to admit in this moment, is the truth that she hasn't stopped looking for the White Wolf, either. She still dreams of them, even if the more logical part of her mind tells her that it was just a story their mother had told them to pass those snowy childhood hours. "It's a fool's errand." She whispers, but there is something in the wolf's eyes - that wish for those stories to be true. Maybe it's some part of the girl she had once been, who still believed in such silly things as love. "You'll chase forever until the end of time, just like the wolf in the stories."

She reaches to touch her own chest, drawing her hand away so that it carries that flame of darkness with it. Hati doesn't have to explain how deep her own darkness goes. Maybe there is still light there, but she's forgotten so many things that have nothing to do with Serrak's magic. "It's not something you can ever be free from. Anyone who tells you otherwise, is lying to you." A chuckle rises up from her, much like when she had been told about 'mercy' by the Burmecian not a few hours ago. "Think you can save me, Skoll? Where were you when it would have made all the difference in the world."

Dropping onto all fours, Hati walks forward, making it so he has no choice but to either move out of the way, or be shoved out of the way by the time she reaches him. "A beast I am, lest a beast I become. It doesn't matter what you think you see." She growls low in her throat, still approaching. "I am doomed to the darkness, just like the rest of this world. Your sister died a long time ago. Now let me pass, or I will /make/ you move."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Then let me be a fool." Skoll rumbles - his ears more than good enough to hear her. The beast takes a step fowards - a single step. "And if I must chase it forever, until the end of time, then I will do so. It is a path fit for someone such as me, cursed with the fate of being Unlimited." Skoll answers Hati - believing the tale that he might very well live for eternity - a statement he doesn't know wether it is true or not.

The beast's gaze follows her motion, and with that finds her hand as she draws that flame of darkness onto it. The werewolf immediately takes that single step back again, afraid of the darkness. He'd told Avira of his fears - his fear that darkness might force him to do things he would never be able to forgive himself for. "My heart is too late to be saved perhaps, but I can at least reduce the amount of darkness within. And so can /you/, Hati. I have seen many things too, I know that darkness is in all adults." He'd not met any of the Princesses of Heart. "But that doesn't change anything. It doesn't make them worth protecting."

The beast then shifts further towards the portal, still trying to block it from the now prowling Hati. "You are no beast, Hati. You are a werewolf - we are not mere beasts!" Skoll moves a hand fowards, expressing desperation in this statement. "You aren't doomed. And I am NOT MOVING. I will protect the rest of the worlds. I may fail, but I will try time and time again. And I will /save you/, wether you like it or not!"

Hati has posed:
For all her knowledge, Unlimiteds are a fairly rare thing, even among the myriad of worlds. Skoll is the only one she's ever heard of, and Serrak had wanted to try to capture that power - at least until he stumbled upon Hati, dying in the snow. It had meant a change in his plans, since giving up on seizing that power meant having to re-think a great many things. Still, much of the legends revolving around those special-born with that gift are known to her. "Poor dear. Must be terrible to be cursed with strength, and stamina, near-invulnerability, and what? Immortality, too? Good luck keeping that heart from falling to darkness when you start watching everyone around you die." She smirks again, that cruel look on her muzzle. "Not that the worlds will live that long, anyways."

As she holds that darkness in her hand, Hati shows no fear of it. That seed had been laid within her so long ago that it is a part of who she has become. Even before her father left her for dead, it had already began worming it's way within her heart. "You act as if I would /want/ to. I'm not afraid of the darkness like you are. I control it, it doesn't control me." She smiles then, "I could let it have me. Become a true Shadow Lord. A tool for the destruction of every world. The power is so very tempting..." Power is one of those alluring things that had always lead people to the darkness. Yet, for Hati, it had never been about power, but strength.

When he refuses to move, she just presses forward, not willing to let him, or anyone make her back down. "Let me go, Skoll." She growls in that lower voice, and the tension in her body suggests that this is his final warning. "You can believe whatever you want about me, or this doomed world. Just remember, you believed father was a good man. Ask yourself how many other things you're wrong about." Hati presses her shoulder right in against him, trying to force her way past.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Tssk, the strength, stamina, and near-invulnerability I've accepted as a means to protect those that are dear to me. But it also means I am likely to see them all pass - just as you say. But I am strong not because of any of those things. I will be strong by not falling to darkness no matter what. I wouldn't be able to look in mothers' eyes if I did." He tells her. The beast then shakes his head. The comment about the worlds not living that long. "Don't be fooled, Hati. There is no way that the Shadow Lords can dim all the stars in the sky. The worlds have always been there." He moves a hand up to the skies. "Look how many there are. There is simply no way you can extinguish all of those in your lifetime."

He then lowers his hand back down and digs his feet deeply into the ground, trying to hold his ground even as she pushes her shoulder against him. "I fear the darkness, because it's not what or who I am. I can't control /this/ darkness. But that doesn't mean I don't try to resist. I guess in that way... you are stronger than me." Skoll tells her. "But that tempting power you speak of..." The beast shakes his head. He's not sure what else to say about that.

"But I will not let you through. Stay with me, Hati. Come with me to the Shard Seekers HQ or something..." The beast rumbles. "And if I have not seen all there is to see, how about you help open my eyes?"

Hati has posed:
The smaller wolf looks right up into Skoll's face as he refuses to move. Certainly, she could have attacked him by now. Everything has been posturing - the way that wolves do so often. A real fight rarely happens, and regardless of what she's been through all these years, this is still her brother who stands before her. "Lucky you. Some of us are not so lucky to have so many that we care for. I have none left." It's a lie the moment it leaves her lips. She wants to cut that bond between the two of them - erase the memories of playing outside their house, or snuggling up to mom in the cold evenings to listen to her stories.

Her eyes close tightly as those events flood back to her, and the wolf-girl snuffles out of her nose, turning her head away from him. Every time she looked at him it seemed to bring more back from the darkness, and it is not a pleasant experience. "The stars are already less, Skoll. Ours burnt out even before the Heartless came. One by one, they're dying. I've seen the power of the Shadow Lords. I believe that they will make the sky only darkness. Even if the White Wolf existed, they'd be swollowed up with it." Speaking those words pains her heart in some way. While she wars between wanting to believe, and wanting to forget, some part of her longs for that kindred spirit of the stories.

The blue-furred wolf laughs again, "Come with you? There? To have that scarred girl call me an assassin and threaten me? Or to have the mouse slit my throat as he's promised? Even if you muzzled me and shackled me in chains, they would hate me just for being what I am." Sure, Reize had been kind to her, but he also didn't know the truth. Perhaps if he had seen her fight along side the Heartless, he would not have been so willing to let her get that close. "You're a fool. I will not beg for scraps of kindness at their feet like some common curr. I am /not/ an omega anymore, Skoll."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll continues to rear up, arms outstretched, not letting her through even when she gives him such harsh words. Still, one hand moves... to his heart. "Hati, you have me now. Can I not be someone you care for?" Babysteps after all, if she truly has 'nobody she cares for', then at least he can introduce himself, right? He's her brother! He's her flesh! He's her blood!

The creature follows her gaze when she looks away, and rumbles when she points out that the starts are lessening. "New stars will be born, old stars will return from the deepest night. Our world may have been destroyed, but that doesn't mean I can just let others be destroyed." In fact, he has a severe complex around the whole 'failing to protect another world' thing. But at least with this one, he'd not been /expected/ to protect it. But there /had/ been a hope. Avira's hope. "And if you find your white wolf..." There's a slight grin. She remembers the white wolf enough to mention it... "You too can protect it."

The beast then continues on to nod once, moving his hands outwards again. "You need not be an Omega. You need not bow to them. I would not let any harm come to you - nor would I muzzle of shackle you! You are my sister! There is no way they'd dare lay a hand on you!" In fact, he believes their light might heal her. Although with Priel there now...

Hati has posed:
While the display of Skoll's size and strength might make a lesser wolf back down, Hati just looks up at him, her teeth bared. It takes more than that to make her relent. She had that in her even as a child - for surely she couldn't have been able to stand up against her father if it weren't for some bravery somewhere deep within. "Why should I? Where were you when I needed my big brother? You were always too caught up in how special you were to see anyone else around you. Now that there's no one left, you want to pretend that you care?"

It's hard to tell if she really means these words, or if it is just jealousy sneaking through the rage that is coursing in her veins just now. Thinking straight through the haze of red before her eyes. She doesn't believe that new worlds will be born into the darkness. But what gets to her is that thought of finding the White Wolf. Her ears tick back, "It's a myth. They aren't real." Her voice breaks, losing some of that anger. In the mean time, she steps back and sits on her haunches, looking lost - confused.

Still, even with his hands outstretched to her, Hati shakes her head, "I will not walk into a den of vipers, not when I've been bitten once before." She growls, but it's softer this time. "From the words of one you call a 'friend', everyone who allies with the Shadow Lords must die. Just wait until that darkness seizes you, Skoll. Wait until you're the one with his blade at your throat." She laughs, that same dark, bitter tone. "I won't go near them, not with that threat hanging over my head." She takes a step forward again, then.

"I have other things to attend to. My life doesn't revolve around you. You just aren't that important." Her ears are still tilted back. "If you want to find me, I'll hunt in the evenings near Fluorgis. Just howl." With that, she tries to budge him out of the way again. "Now if you'll excuse me." At least she isn't trying to eat his face, although it seems likely that if he refuses her again, she won't act nearly so nicely.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
The beast stands his ground for a while longer at least; "You know I never particularly wanted any of that. Dad was always rambling about how he wanted to make me mate with that stupid girl from the other tribe. And I complained plenty about being dragged time and time into training." He actually wanted to live a bit of his young life hanging with other children, but he rarely had the chance. "I wasn't 'caught up in it' - you know that! And you also know that I care, I've always cared! You're my lil' sister!"

Calmth overcomes him when the girl seems to ease off herself. He /knows/, just by her reaction, that she still chases that dream. Just like himself. "You can't say that. Unlimited were supposed to be a Myth. The destroyer of worlds was supposed to be a myth. Heartless were a tale to scare the children. They have proven 'not' to be myths." Skoll points out. He reaches a hand out further towards her again.

He retreats it a ltitle when she comments on his 'friend' who apparently thinks all Shadow Lords must die. "So you are truly a Shadow Lord now?" He whispers, and then sighs and lowers his body a little. Many of his wounds are still healing, so he can't just remain standing strong like that.

At least she is trying to give him an alternative. "Fluorgis... hunting... very well then." Skoll whispers, clearly having some trouble dealing with this option. "You better be there..." He whispers, clearly trying not to be threatening in saying this...

And then he finally steps aside.

Hati has posed:
The smaller wolf looks up at him with those mismatched eyes, the longer strands of her headfur hanging down to send them into shadow. "I seem to know an aweful lot." She's still angry - angry about what the snake-woman had said - angry about the threat from the templar mouse - angry at her brother returning and thinking that he can somehow just reinsert himself into her life after all this time. It's an emotion she is so very familiar with - like her own heartbeat - it pulses rage.

Yet, his presence has thrown a blanket on the fires of her fury. It has dampened the darkness for at least a brief moment. It may not last long, but for now... it is enough to keep her from letting that last bit of herself be lost into the darkness. "And a great many things have proven to remain myths." She doesn't want to argue about the White Wolf. That part of her heart that still holds on to light wants so badly to find that connection that their mother spoke of. Maybe if the wolf was real, she could follow that white light out of the darkness. But in all this time, even as she tetters on the edge, there is no sign of that, save for the moon in the ever-present sky.

She nudges past him without, not about to repeat herself when it comes to being there or not. It wouldn't be hard to disappear again into nothing. To never see him again. Yet, he is family. One paw touches portal, Without looking back, she murmurs, "No. I'm not." She had refused to take Serrak's place when it was offered to her. It was the chance to become someone powerful within the Shadow Lords, and yet she'd chosen to remain alone in that ruined castle. She had chosen to wait, and watch. It is the way of the wolf.

A single step more, and she's gone the portal closing behind her.